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Rising food prices impacting nonprofits and food banks in Connecticut

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Rising food prices impacting nonprofits and food banks in Connecticut


It’s not only the turkey that’s going to cost you more. Grocery prices are still up from last year.

That’s why nonprofits and food banks In Connecticut are stepping in to help people struggling this Thanksgiving.

For Pastor Brenda Adkins, her annual Day of Joy brings Thanksgiving to thousands of New Haven area families unable to celebrate themselves.

“You’re not thinking about a light bill or a gas bill. You’re being served a nice hot meal,” Adkins said.

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Her church, His Divine Will Fellowship, has been doing the event for 15 years providing hot holiday meals, but year 16 has been challenging with ingredients costing more now.

“Last year, a box of mashed potatoes was $2.49. This year is $3.49,” she said.

Adkins said the church is spending $1,700 more this year on the same ingredients, much of it driven by the price of meat.

“Even the price of chicken, you know, what we paid last year, it’s double, triple than what we paid last year,” she said.

This comes as food prices have gone up since last year, especially here in the Hartford-New Haven area. That’s according to data from the marketing research firm NIQ.

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Eggs, for instance, are up about 7% in our area, and a loaf of bread is up about 2.5% from last year. Other items are going up like ground beef, which is now 10% more ,and chicken breast which is up about 3%.

At the Seymour Oxford Food Bank, Executive Director Kristina Walton said she’s seen double the families come through compared to last year. The delays with food stamps and the coming holiday season bringing much of the traffic with items not on shelves for long.

“It goes, it moves very quickly. It comes in, it goes out,” Walton said.

While she credits partnerships with local grocery stores and the generosity of the community, Walton worries about the future.

“Once we get through the holiday season, donations drop off in both physical donations and monetary donations. And that could be concerning when the need is still so big,” she said.

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But for Adkins, she’s committed to having the day of joy despite the challenges.

“It’s an event that you have to come and experience it for yourself,” she said.



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Connecticut

Man killed in Glastonbury crash

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Man killed in Glastonbury crash


A man is dead after a crash in Glastonbury on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The crash happened around 2:45 p.m. in the area of Hebron Avenue and Glenwood Road. First responders were called in response to the report of a crash with injuries.

When police arrived at the scene, they found an 84-year-old man driving one of the vehicles. He was unconscious and was rushed to an area hospital. A passenger in the same vehicle was also taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Police said that, according to an investigation, the 84-year-old driver was traveling east on Hebron Avenue when he turned left onto Glenwood Road. As he turned, he drove into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

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The crash redirected the 84-year-old’s vehicle into a third vehicle.

Police said the man later died at the hospital. He hasn’t been identified at this time.



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‘Changed everything:’ Double knee replacement transforms quality of life for Connecticut woman

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‘Changed everything:’ Double knee replacement transforms quality of life for Connecticut woman


MILFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A Connecticut woman dealt with debilitating knee pain for years before she said she found a surgeon who listened to her needs and successfully replaced both of her joints.

“I was totally incapacitated,” Gail Rogers Hopkins told News 8.

Going up and down stairs was impossible for her just a couple of years ago.

“I could hardly move because the pain was just that excruciating,” she explained.

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Before the pain consumed her, however, she shared her knees just weren’t her top priority.

“You just push it away because there’s kids to take care of and husbands to take care of and houses and work,” she said.

Rogers Hopkins tried all sorts of remedies like cortisone and CBD before exploring surgery.

“Finding the right doctor was key. I fired four orthopedists before I got to Dr. Lahav, because they, because of my weight, they did not want to do the surgery, and they dismissed me.”

The “right” doctor, she said, is orthopedic surgeon Dr. Amit Lahav at Bridgeport Hospital’s Milford Campus.

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“Somebody was actually listening to me and that’s, you know, that was the start of it and so I did everything I was told,” Rogers Hopkins explained while fighting back tears.

Lahav helped her develop a weight loss plan in preparation for surgery. Her first knee was replaced in April and the second in June of last year.

Just about a year later, she said, “I didn’t feel like I had a life prior to this, you know, having the surgery done was just incredible, it just has changed everything.”

  • 'Changed everything:' Double knee replacement transforms quality of life for Connecticut woman.

Lahav is familiar with Rogers Hopkins’ path to surgery, saying, “functional impairments or mechanical symptoms such as arthritis sometimes takes a backseat.”

While he doesn’t discount a hip or knee replacement being major surgery, he added, “a lot of the total joint replacement you do now are same day, you go home, same day, you’re walking just a couple of hours after surgery, full weight-bearing.”

Lahav also emphasizes that recovery isn’t one size fits all.

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“It’s a new joint, it does take some work on there, but if you get that work done earlier on and you maximize where you can get, especially over the first few weeks, you can be walking into my office at two weeks saying, I already feel a difference,” Lahav said.

To those struggling with pain like Rogers Hopkins’, she said, “don’t give up.”

She wants others to know, “it was worth the wait.”

Lahav said consider all your options for joint pain, both surgical and non-surgical. If surgery is the option you choose, make sure you understand the process from prep to post-surgery and prioritize quality communication with your medical team.

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Body recovered from Connecticut River identified as missing Massachusetts man

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Body recovered from Connecticut River identified as missing Massachusetts man


LYME, Conn. (WTNH) — A body found in the Connecticut River earlier this month has been positively identified as a missing Massachusetts man, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

Somebody had reported seeing a body in the Connecticut River near the Chester-Lyme Ferry on May 9 around 12:23 p.m., according to DEEP.

Fire crews and police were able to recover the body, where the man was pronounced dead.

Environmental Conservation Police (EnCon) investigators were able to match known records to 63-year-old Donald Plasse, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, who was reported missing on Jan. 13.

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According to DEEP, his disappearance followed an incident near the Connecticut River in South Hadley, Massachusetts.



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